Can Reality TV be a Force for Social Change?: Asim Haneef at TEDxOxbridge

"Reality TV" is typically associated with words such as "vanity," "greed," and "depravity," yet enjoys enormous viewership on both sides of the Atlantic. Why do we watch this crap? More importantly, if we are going to watch reality TV, could the genre be used to bring about positive change in the world? Asim Haneef has spent the past two years in an Egypt in the middle of a revolution to create the region's first reality TV programme. What led him to employ such an unusual genre to promote concepts like entrepreneurship and social activism? Could his show be a starting point for a more positive use of reality television? Asim shares what led him to this project and his experiences in making such a unique programme.

Asim Haneef is the Director of Development at Bamyan Media. In 2013, he developed and successfully launched El Mashrou3 (The Project), Egypt's first reality TV show about regular and social entrepreneurs for Al-Nahar, the third biggest TV network in the country. The groundbreaking show attracted millions of TV viewers and a large social media community as it sought to highlight the ingenuity, passion and skills of some of the youth of the country.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)